


Against All Odds

by Fearlesskiki



Series: One in a Million [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Brazil GP 2007, F/M, Ferrari - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-11 09:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: Brazilian GP 2007, the last race of the season to determine the fate of three drivers Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Only one can be the champion in the three-way race and the odds are stacking against Kimi.





	

It started two weeks ago at the Chinese GP where Kimi mathematically has a shot back in the championship race after he won the race with Lewis Hamilton blown his due to lost grip of the tyres. It dramatically blew the game wide open with Kimi now seven points behind Lewis and three points behind Fernando respectively. There is only one race left on the Formula One calendar and that race will determine the winner.

 

The media is, of course, taking this news worthy opportunity to make loud noises and hype up the three-way race. The British press in particular plaster the public with two words, Lewis Hamilton. Fans are ecstatic about the race, chanting their favourite for the win. They are delighted as the championship winner is not pre-determined few races ago. They still have a championship to look forward until the last race. The locals are excited as well, even though their local hero Felipe Massa is not one of the three that stands a chance for the championship. They are genuinely happy just as the other fans. The mood in the Ferrari paddock changes too. The aura within the team is positive. Everyone looks content, which is not surprising as the team has secured the constructor's championship weeks ago. But deep down inside everyone in Ferrari are having lopsided smiles the moment Lewis retired in China. The pressure has gone up with the Italian team strives more to win the drivers' championship. Not sure whether they want to win it for Kimi or for their own ego. But whatever the reason is, it ultimately benefits Kimi.

 

Everyone in the Italian team remain hopeful during the racing week, working their best to prepare for the weekend. The mechanics making sure things go smoothly by checking three times for every little detail. They make a few chant along with the way, motivating each other with positive gestures. Drivers meetings are extremely long this week and as usual, Kimi falls asleep in the meeting again. Things moving quite smoothly for the Ferrari team, getting good times on the track for practice and qualifying rounds. Kimi tries his best in the track but he is ousted by his teammate Felipe and rival Lewis, only gets P3 in the end. His championship dreams are slightly lower down another notch. With this result, the media begin to drum up the hype of Lewis Hamilton's championship hopes once again. Bets are made mostly on Lewis to win it, even the pundits are laughing about Kimi's or Fernando's chance of winning.

 

Federica's heart drops when she reads the results on the screen. She is disappointed as Kimi was fastest during the second qualifying round but his competitors improve and snatch the top spots in the last round. She drops her fists and slumps back to the chair.

 

"Okay." Kimi's race engineer Chris Dyer utters, with eyes monitoring the screen.

 

Federica's ears perk when she hears Chris' words. She turns to Chris with raised eyebrows and says, "Okay? P3 is not okay, especially Lewis is at the front."

 

"Well, then what is okay?" Chris asks.

 

"P1, duh." She replies.

 

Chris lets out a laugh, which makes Federica slightly annoyed. He then explains himself, "Of course, everyone would want first place, but Kimi's strength is not qualifying. And besides, Felipe and Hamilton were better today. What can you do? Anyway, P3 isn't that bad. With a good strategy and skills, it's possible to pass Hamilton."

 

"Yeah, you're right, anything can happen. But getting in front is still not enough." She counters.

 

"Yeah, but as you've said it yourself, missie. Anything can happen in racing." Chris replies with a smile.

 

Federica turns her sight to the paddock and realises Kimi has parked his car. Kimi removes his helmet and to her surprise, he looks content. It makes her wonder, how could he still remain relaxed in these situations? She leaves her chair and rushes over to her beau. She put on a smile, even though deep down in her heart there are still many doubts about tomorrow's race. But she knows that she could not give more pressure to Kimi than what he already has. Kimi could not have distractions like this add on to his preparation. What Kimi needs are support and encouragement, which Federica tries to provide him. Kimi seems to appreciate those gestures from Federica. She receives a kiss and a smile in return, which calms her down a little. Interviews with the press and meeting with the team fill most of Kimi's second half of the day, only dinner and bed time are the times that Kimi could stretch his legs. Those are also the times that Federica could spend with Kimi. She tries to avoid talking about the race but every time she opens her mouth there is just something that reminds her of the race. She ends up not saying anything at all, spiraling her pasta throughout the dinner. The dinner table is unusually quiet, the only sounds are the friction of the utensils. At one point Kimi breaks the silence.

 

"Didn't your mama tell you not to play with food?"

 

Federica wakes up from daydreaming and turns her attention to Kimi, which is smiling at her. She places away her utensils and utters, "Well, I'm just uh..."

 

"Thinking about the race? That's not for to you to worry. I mean, you can't do anything, right?" Kimi continues her sentence.

 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't make you worry." Federica says.

 

"Eat up. You'll need the energy to cheer tomorrow." Kimi says before continues to finish his pasta.

 

Federica gazes at Kimi, as he takes another bunch of pasta. She finds herself quite useless in these times, always worrying about things too much. It always amazed her at how Kimi handles pressure or even life in general. Kimi has always been Kimi, doing his own thing to achieve his goals. He always did it in a honest, simple way. He does not care what people thinks about him, nor he try to please anyone. Being the man that he is, Kimi deserves everything in the world. He deserves to win at least one world championship in his life.

 

There are not many activities after dinner, with the two of the wrap each other up under the stars at the hotel balcony. But the quiet night does not stay long as Kimi receives a message from Mark reminding him to have an early sleep. Kimi releases his girlfriend as soon as he read the message and gets himself ready for bed. Kimi might be a rebel in many ways, but somehow Mark could conquer this rebel. Federica would like to know what secret Mark has on Kimi.

 

Federica follows Kimi to bed and tries to have a good night sleep, but thoughts of negativity keep her awake. To prevent Kimi from staying up, she sneaks out from the bed to keep herself company. Federica grabs her phone and scrolls through her social media and realises it is not helping her right now. The posts from Formula 1 fans are flooding her dashboard. The posts are too polarizing, they either giving her too much hope or shatters her dreams. Loitering around the hotel does not help much either. There are not many places the hang around after 10. She then opts for a book. Da Vinci Code always do the trick whenever she has insomnia. She flips through the book and eyes start to become heavy. Before she realises, she falls into a deep sleep. The next thing Federica could feel is some friction on the bed. When she cracks open her eyes, she could see Kimi changing his clothes.

 

"You're early today." She murmurs with her half opened eyes.

 

"It's racing day," Kimi replies to her.

 

Federica's eyes turn wide when she hears those words. It is only then it clicks into her mind that today is Sunday. It is not just any Sunday, it is a racing Sunday. It is not just a usual racing day, it is a racing day that will determine the championship winner. It was only days that she celebrated Kimi's birthday at Finland for the first time and now they need to prepare the fight for the driver's championship. She wonders if Kimi still have some of that birthday luck as it is still his birthday week.

 

"How are you today, dear?" she murmurs.

 

"Good. Hopefully, things go well today." Kimi replies.

 

Federica gets up from the bed and says, "I really hope you'll win this year."

 

"Bwoah, maybe I would. I do have you this year." Kimi says.

 

"Hah, funny. If only I could transfer luck. You'll probably need all the luck in the world today. I rather not win that 1000 Euros the other day if I could choose." Federica says.

 

"Then you'll probably won't able to buy that Burberry over there," Kimi says, pointing to the tote bag on the sofa.

 

"Hey, I'm not that materialistic, okay?" Federica replies with a pout, which makes Kimi crack a smile. Federica's face softens to Kimi's smile. Those tiny blue eyes and that wide smile are always her Achilles heel. She then wraps her arms to Kimi and says, "Go and win that trophy, baby."

 

The sun peeks through the window, with the mild wind flowing into the room. It looks like a good day for a walk. It is also a good day for racing. The race track is a little windy compared to yesterday. Kimi ignores the reporters, as usual, bulldozing them along the way to the Ferrari paddock. The reporters then turn to Federica for some information. When Federica opens her mouth, she could feel someone pulling her arm.

 

"Leave her alone," Kimi says before dragging Federica away from the crowd.

 

"Kimi! Kimi! Stop!" says Federica, breaking on the spot after the pair has gotten away from the reporters. She continues, "Kimi, I'm your PR person. I'm supposed to speak for you."

 

Kimi stares at his girlfriend, lets out a sigh and says, "Sometimes I wish you are just a normal person."

 

"Well, I am normal. It's just that my job requires me to speak about you." Federica says. "Well, at least I'm not that annoying reporter who asks you stupid questions anymore?"

 

"Yeah, I'm glad," Kimi replies with a soft smile.

 

Their little moment is interrupted by Chris, signaling Kimi for a quick chat. Federica glances to the side and there are a bunch of guys with white red uniforms pass by her with piercing eyes and smug faces. It leaves a bitter note on her.

 

"Ugh, such arrogant faces. I wish we could beat them." She utters.

 

"We could." Kimi's trainer Mark Arnall responds to her.

 

"I would bet my life on Kimi if I could but lady luck was never by his side," Federica says.

 

"Oi, stop that negativity. And don't let Kimi hears this." Mark replies. Federica nods to him as a response.

 

"Well, technically we won. For the constructions championship. But of course, I hope Kimi will win today too." a voice interrupts the conversation. Federica turns around and sees Felipe's race engineer Rob Smedley behind her.

 

"Rob? Really? I thought you would prefer your Felipe baby to win." Federica says.

 

"Of course I prefer baby to win it. But it would not make sense for the team if he wins it today, right?" Rob replies with a smile.

 

Federica flashes a smile and continues, "Yeah, you're right. But seriously, how can you guys still stay so calm?"

 

"Well, look at this way. Hamilton is leading now so it is his race to lose. We, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. But we could win the driver's championship." Rob says.

 

"Hmm... makes sense." Federica replies. She then makes way for herself to the paddock and lets the team do their work. The officials signal the teams to get ready for the race. The temperature rises as the day goes on, making Federica more tense than she already is. The adrenaline rushes through Federica's veins when the lights go out. Cars start to race against each other. Kimi outruns Lewis from the clean side of the grid, driving side by side with Felipe but could not get pass his teammate. Climbing a spot is normally a good start but being second today is not enough for Kimi. He has to be first in order to have a shot at winning the championship. But Felipe is so fast today, blazing through the track like it is just another day in the office. Federica glances to the back and she could see Lewis dropping a few spots. Maybe this is their chance. But wait, there is still Fernando. The Spaniard is trailling not far behind. The two Ferrari cars get a bit closer with Kimi looking for a chance to overtake Felipe. Kimi's race engineer Chris reminds Kimi to be patient as racing too hard within the team might backfire their plan. The Ferrari cars manage to keep their pace and stay apart from their competitors, with Felipe at 1st and Kimi 2nd after the 1st pit stop. Lewis is in 8th place, but Federica's mind still has not peace. 

 

"Don't worry, Federica. We will try our best to help Kimi." Chris says. 

 

Federica narrows her eyes and turns to the engineer. She asks, "Isn't that what you guys should have done since the beginning of the year?"

 

"Well, yeah, but we'll give 200% extra today," Chris replies with a lopsided smile.

 

"You know that's not mathematically possible," Federica replies.

 

"You'll see," Chris responds. He pushes the radio button to communicate with Kimi. "Kimi, hang in there. Try to save the fuel a little longer and manage the tyres. We are going to get Felipe in soon."

 

"Okay," Kimi responds through the radio.

 

When the team brings Felipe into the pits, Kimi maximises the opportunity that the team gave him, sprinting lap to lap on the track. When Felipe comes out, Kimi remains at the top spot. There are a few retirements at the track, but fortunately the race still goes on without interruption. This is it. It is really happening. Kimi is leading the race, flying lap by lap in São Paulo. But as always, everything is possible in racing. The race does not end until the chequered flag. As the racing progress, her hearts races as well. Laps keep decreasing and her heart beats faster. The Ferrari cars remain to conquer, bossing throughout the race. None of the competitors manage to keep up with them. Federica could feel her heart races as fast as the racing cars as she checks on the paces of Kimi, Lewis, and Fernando. 

 

"You look ugly when you're tense." 

 

A familiar voice comes out of nowhere, hitting Federica by surprise. Her eyes turn wide by those offensive words. When she turns to the side, she notices a familiar guy with a red T-shirt standing just centimeters away from herself. She responds, "Well, excuse me?!" 

 

"Maybe you should join one of Mark's yoga classes with Kimi." The guy continues with his eyes still on the race track.

 

"Well, yoga isn't my thing. And who are-" Federica pauses a while when she recognises the man standing beside her. She continues by uttering, "Seb-by?"

 

"Shh..." the guy responds with eyes still fixing on the race track. He continues without having eye contact with Federica. "He better win it. I've bet 200 Euros for it."

 

"Sebby, you can't be here!" She whispers to Sebastian, with her eyes scanning her surroundings to make sure no one notices Sebastian's presence.

 

"0.1 faster. Yes!" Sebastian says, ignoring Federica's words.

 

Federica continues to monitor the paces of Kimi and Lewis. Lewis has managed to climb up to 7th place from his disastrous start and also made up from the technical failure. Kimi keeps the momentum until the last lap, flying through the lap without problems. The chequered flag comes out and waves through when Kimi crosses the line. Felipe reaches not long after him. Is this the end? Did Kimi won the race? No wait, the others have not reached the chequered flag. Lewis still has a shot in it. Only when the other cars ahead of him reaches the finish line, that will seal the win. One by one the cars finish the race. Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld cross the line. Lewis is one lap behind with seventh place. Chris turns on the microphone and says, "Okay, it's all over, it's all over. Hamilton seventh. Hamilton seventh. By my calculations, we win the championship by one point."

 

"Oh my god, he won!" Sebastian says as he cuddles Federica who is standing beside him.

 

Tears start to flow down from Federica's eyes. She could not believe what has just happened. She gives a pinch to herself just to confirm it and it does hurts. Kimi is indeed a world champion. People are giving hugs to her, almost squished her in the process. Federica makes her way to the main stage along with the other Ferrari staffs. When Kimi comes out from the car, she could sense the joy under the helmet that Kimi lets out after trying so many times in the past. With the big crowd surrounding Kimi, it takes a while for him to reach her. Federica could hear Kimi mumbles something to her but she could not understand what he is trying to tell her. A bunch of reporters come along and abduct Kimi. Kimi is then traped with the press, leaving Federica with the Ferrari staffs.

 

"Congratulations." 

 

It is Felipe that said those words. He has made the bravest and gentleman move today. The Brazilian could have won the race easily in his hometown but instead of winning, he put down his pride and help Kimi. Kimi could not have a better teammate than him.

 

"Thank you," Federica replies.

 

"It's for the team. And he deserves to win too." Felipe says. "But I wouldn't let him win the next year though."

 

Federica flashes a smile and nods to him before turning to Kimi's direction. Kimi is giving interviews to the press where is speaks about the thoughts of his family and friends. "It's probably right now more for them than for me. They always believe in me and help me during the difficult times. It's great for them. They are sitting there the crying right now. I'm happy for them and for sure they are happy for me."

 

Federica's eyes become teary again as she looks at her man saying those words. She could see a well deserved world champion right in front of her eyes. She utters, "I'm so proud of you, Kimi."

**Author's Note:**

> This was initially a long term project about Kimi's career but I decided to make it into mini short stories instead to highlight the major events. This is the first one and there will probably be a couple more to come in the future.
> 
> I can't believe it's been 10 years since Kimi won his championship with Ferrari. Wow. I hope 2017 is a good year for Kimi and Ferrari. Winning the championship 10 years later would be awesome.
> 
> I used the gorgeous Federica Masolin from Sky Italia (I love her!) as the model of my original character because I wanted an Italian female lead. But decided to tag it as an original character because Kimi/Federica is not considered a ship at all.
> 
> If you like it please give me a kudos. Share it with your friends. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve :) Every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/) and [join the FBD Book Club!](https://footballblogsdirectory.tumblr.com/post/160746377878/welcome-to-the-fbd-book-club-this-is-a-place-to)


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